The Death of a King
by Hells Fiction
Summary: When the Strawhats loose their captain, years after obtaining their dreams, they have to keep living. A look in the recovery period each of the Strawhats have to undertake when years of abuse on his own body causes Luffy to be the first of them to fall. Warning! Major Character Death (obviously)
1. The Burial

Well, apparently I like torturing myself, because I made this. This will be a nine chapter long story about the Strawhats after Luffy's death because... well, it's going to happen one day.

I didn't want to make this really angsty; I wanted to write something about death that accentuate the positives of life. This is why I'm not going into detail about _how_ Luffy died in this, you can make up your own cause of death. So, expect a very serious but positive outlook in this.

This story will be updated every other day, so I can work on my other story between chapters. If you want something more light hearted, check out my other story on the go, A Study in Luffy's Asexuality. Or, you know, don't. Your choice.

Drop a review if you find any issues in what I've written so far, and I'll work on fixing it!

**The Death of a King**

**Chapter 1**

**The Burial**

It didn't feel right, burying Luffy. The entire crew agreed; they were going to bury Luffy next to Ace, but... it didn't seem right. Luffy couldn't be confined to land. He'd lived on the sea, loved the sea and the adventures it offered, and a burial at sea seemed the only appropriate resting place for their Captain.

Nami swallowed as she watched the covered coffin sink beneath the water, swallowing and pulling her eyes away. "Of course he would be the first to die." She mumbled, clutching at the rails as if it was the only thing holding her up. "He always was selfish."

Zoro hummed; unlike the rest of the crew, he didn't look away from the coffin. He watched as it sunk beneath the waves, and kept watching intently until he couldn't make it out anymore underneath the stormy water. He didn't chide Usopp and Chopper for crying, even though he knew it wasn't what Luffy would have wanted; it didn't matter anyway, it was raining so hard you could barely see the tears on their faces. "Well, we all knew he wouldn't let any of us die before him." He replied, his fingers curled tightly around Wado's hilt.

"It's not right." Sanji muttered, and Zoro looked at him, his expression staying impassive. Sanji's lips were pressed around a soggy cigarette, and apart from his clenched jaw, he looked emotionless as he stared out at the sea. "He didn't have his hat. It's not right."

"We never did find out what he did with that hat." Robin sighed, and Zoro hummed, turning back to the sea. She was right; one day, on a small, insignificant island in East Blue, Luffy had gone for a wander, and they hadn't seen the Pirate King for 2 weeks. Just when they were about to go searching for him, he came back, his clothes torn and his hat missing. He'd just laughed when his crew worried about him, waving a hand to dismiss the questions and heading onto the Thousand Sunny to sleep for several days.

The Captain hadn't even seemed worried about loosing his namesake, although occasionally the crew would catch him reaching for a hat that wasn't there anymore. None of them ever mentioned the flash of disappointment and loss that darted across Luffy's face during these moments.

Zoro turned away from the rails and walked away, hitting Franky around the head as he did so; the cyborg, who'd been sobbing loudly, grumbled at him, dabbing at his eyes. "Stop crying." The Swordsman muttered. "Imagine how he would feel if he saw you now. You'd make him feel like shit."

"Zoro-san..." Brooke started, turning to watch the man. Zoro stopped walking, but didn't turn. "What do we do now?" Zoro didn't answer for a moment, aware of the rest of the crew turning to look at him, and...

Oh. He clenched his teeth together, knuckles white as he gripped Wado's hilt before letting go. Was this how Luffy felt, when they all looked to him? When they felt lost, and their Captain was the only thing they could rely on?

Probably not. Luffy was a born leader, with the uncanny knack of being where he had to be. Zoro sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"We keep going." He replied shortly. "We do what Luffy would have wanted us to do. We travel, and we adventure."

He looked back at the rest of the crew, who exchanged looks. For one brief, heart stopping moment, he thought the rest of the crew were going to refuse; were going to go back to their respective homes and give up everything they'd worked so hard for. But then Nami sighed.

"We're probably gonna just end up getting haunted by Luffy if we give up here." She muttered, shaking her head and tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear. After a moment, the rest of the crew nodded, managing small smiles as Chopper and Usopp wiped away the tears. Zoro sighed in silent relief before padding away to head up to the crows nest. No one followed him, giving the man time and space to mourn their captain in his own way, as they got to work on the Thousand Sunny, Luffy's absence a heavy weight on their shoulders.


	2. Chapter of Brooke

The first real chapter. And... this hurt me, writing this. I don't like making the characters I love sad. But that was the point of this entire story, to write something out of my comfort zone.

**Chapter of Brooke**

Brooke was used to death and loss. He'd experienced it enough in his life time to know that it was inevitable; no one lived forever, no matter how desperately you cling to the memories of days gone by.

Just because he was used to it, however, didn't mean it was any easier for him to accept. And the loss of Luffy, brilliant, incredible, shining Luffy, Luffy who accepted him without a second thought, who came back from the brink of death time and time again, was an especially hard loss to accept. They kept going, because what else would they do? The Pirate King was dead, and although such a huge event should surely stop everyone, stop time itself, the world kept going. Some people mourned, some people celebrated, and Brooke was sure that there were already rookies flocking to the sea, looking to be the next Pirate King, to follow in Luffy's footsteps. And... it angered him.

That was a strange feeling; Brooke so rarely got truly angry, and never at something like this. Never when people were pursuing their dreams, were striving to be the very best they could be. Something like that should only be admired. But the idea of anyone even trying to follow in Luffy's footsteps was laughable to Brooke. Hell, his own crew had struggled to follow in Luffy's footsteps! How could any pirate who'd never met Luffy hope to achieve even half of what the dark haired man had?

Brooke stood up abruptly from the kitchen table, and Sanji glanced around at him in surprise; it wasn't like Brooke to leave halfway through his afternoon tea. The cook didn't make a comment, however, as Brooke walked to the side and picked up the newspaper they had all ignored.

It had arrived that morning, and Nami hadn't even looked at it before throwing it onto the kitchen counter. She didn't need to read it, none of them needed to. They all knew what it would say, the sort of bile it would produce about their late captain.

Although Brooke knew what the paper would say, he still picked it up and unfolded it, bone fingers carefully laying out the paper.

The first thing he noticed was the picture they used. It was from Luffy's wanted poster, but not the iconic image of him grinning at the camera, his hat tilted back from his face; this one had been taken years later, long after Luffy had claimed the title of Pirate King. He looked older, more mature in this picture, but it was an illusion; a second of time taken out of context. Brooke could remember the day the picture had been taken; Luffy had claimed another island, effectively protecting it against other pirates. He was muddy and his clothes were torn from playing with the children on the island all day, and only a second after the picture had been taken, he'd been beaming and yelling, trying to get Sanji to give him an early lunch.

"They used the wrong picture." Brooke murmured, and Sanji looked over at him, hesitating when he saw the skeleton; tears leaked from blank eye sockets as the musician stared down at the paper, dropping onto the paper and smearing the ink. Sanji looked down at the paper, but he couldn't see the problem; they just used the picture from Luffy's wanted poster. When Sanji looked back up, Brooke had already headed out of the kitchen, leaving him alone in the empty room.

Brooke crossed the deck, skeletal fingers clenched tightly around his walking cane. Nothing about this was right. The world wasn't falling apart, the wrong photo had been used, and Luffy wasn't there. He couldn't hear his Captain's excited whooping or contagious laughter. The Thousand Sunny felt horribly empty without the sound of Luffy's sandals slapping against his feet as he ran through the grass, and Brooke had to take a moment to rest against the mast. If he still had eyelids, he would be squeezing his eyes tightly shut right now, trying to deny the painful reality. But even if he couldn't see, he could still hear, and every second without Luffy's elated voice made him want to die all over again.

_"Brooke!"_

The musician spun around at the voice, hope cruelly filling him before crushing his spirits once more. He was imagining things now, hearing voices where there were none.

_"Brooke, play Bink's Sake for me!"_

Brooke looked down before lifting his violin.

He'd been dead before, wandering through nothing for years on his own. No music to listen to, no friends to comfort him. And Luffy couldn't be in the same position, he hadn't eaten the Yomi Yomi no Mi. But if he was lost, Brooke didn't want him to be alone.

The song was slow at first, mournful; Bink's Sake was Luffy's favourite song, and it was painful to play it even in the man's memory, as painful as it had been to play while his friends fell around him. Luffy should be there singing along with him, laughing and clapping.

But... even then, this was wrong. Bink's Sake wasn't supposed to be played like this. Bink's Sake was a song celebrating life and embracing death. About living to your fullest. That was why Luffy had loved the song so much, and that was why Brooke needed to play it. Brooke took a deep breath, feeling the air brush past his bones, before picking up speed.

Death wasn't the end. The world wasn't going to fall apart just because Luffy wasn't there, and they had to continue, to live their lives, so if there was an afterlife, if there was any chance they could see Luffy again, they could hold their heads high and proud in his presence, and tell him that they had lived.


	3. Chapter of Franky

Another short chapter... it seems I can only write this story at short bursts at a time. This chapter was actually harder to write than Brooke's, even though I think it's a lot less upsetting. It might be because I'm not as comfortable with writing Franky's character as I am with Brooke's; The fun loving musician is much easier to write than the romantic, street hardened shipwright...

Despite that, after a bit of fiddling, I'm fairly confident that I've got his character down. If you disagree though, tell me! I'm interested in how other people see Franky, and whether my interpretation of his character is completely wrong.

**Chapter of Franky**

Franky was crying again. He didn't mean to; he knew it annoyed Zoro when he cried. He knew, if Luffy was there, he would be looking up at his shipwright with huge, sad eyes. He even knew that it frustrated the rest of the crew, even if they wouldn't say it.

But Franky couldn't help it. He tried to take his mind off of it by working, tinkering with new inventions, but it was a double edged sword; even though it had already been a month since Luffy had died, Franky still had the urge to rush up to the deck to show his captain his latest device, from little tools to help him work to upgrades to Sunny's systems. And every time, he took one step onto the deck before the realization hit him all over again.

It was hard, almost unbearable. Luffy had been such a huge part of his life for so long; the man who believed wholeheartedly in what Franky dreamed, the man who didn't once laugh at his impossible goals. It was strange how Franky had never even considered the idea of Luffy dying. Of course, he knew that it would happen eventually; that the crew would be dead and buried, nothing more than stories and legends. But he'd assumed that he would be dead long before Luffy, that he personally wouldn't have to go through the pain of loosing his captain.

Franky rubbed the last of the tears from his face, the new cola-powered rocket he'd been developing little more than a handful of crumpled metal in his large hands now. He let the metal fall to the ground, kicking it when it landed and crossing the deck, heading to the figure head.

It was Luffy's spot - would always be Luffy's spot - but it was comforting to sit there for a few minutes, remembering the younger man's presence, his bright grin and the promise of adventure. Franky rested his hand on the Sunny's figurehead, and sighed. Luffy had loved the ship as much as Franky had, as much as he had loved Merry, and Franky had to wonder what would become of their ship when they were all gone. If he had to choose a fate for his greatest creation, he would want the Sunny to keep travelling until she was completely exhausted and couldn't travel anymore.

And then... he didn't know. Part of him wanted her to have a noble death, like the Merry had. Wanted her last moments to be protecting the crew that had traveled to the end of the world and beyond with her.

As a shipwright, he wanted his ship to die while she was still beautiful and untarnished, so that even the memory of her was perfect.

As a father, however, he wanted her to have a long life. Wanted her to live the last of her life in Water 7; the ship would be open to the public, so that adults and children alike could see the ship of the Pirate King and his crew. He wanted children to play on her, couples to share their first kiss on her, families to regularly visit her. Franky wanted her to live a long, full life for all of them, a testament to the strength of their will.

Franky ran his hand over his cropped hair before lowering his head, sharing a quiet moment with his ship in memory of their captain.

_"It's so cool! Sunny is so cool!"_

Franky huffed out a little laugh, not opening his eyes. That familiar voice wasn't really there. He was smart enough to know that it was a figment of his imagination, and he hadn't even considered bringing it up to the rest of the crew, for fear of their pitying eyes. All the same, it was comforting; a reminder that Luffy was still with him, in spirit if not in body.

The cyborg straightened up, pausing for a moment to watch the sun start to set. He opened up his chest, taking out a bottle of cola.

"Luffy-bro..." He murmured softly, taking a deep breath. There was still so much he wanted to say to Luffy, so much he wanted to thank the captain for. For now, he just settled on a few short words, accompanied by a smile and a toast to the ocean with his cola.

"We're gonna live without regrets. See you on the other side."

* * *

**(Side note; **I'm aware that living without regrets was more Ace's thing. However, Luffy was influenced greatly by both his brothers and their beliefs growing up, and in turn, he influenced his own crew. Besides, living without regrets just seems like a romantic ideal, one I think Franky would completely believe in.**)**


	4. Chapter of Robin

Some of you might have noticed the time skips between chapters, and there's a reason for that; I don't want this story to be about angst. I don't want it to be about the crew's grief, I want it to be about their healing process; about how they help each other and are still a family, even without Luffy. And the truth is, it takes time to recover from loosing someone from your life. Especially someone as important as Luffy was to the crew.

**Chapter of Robin**

Robin carefully picked her way through the mounds of trash that filled Grey Terminal, sighing. She'd read up on the fire that had burned Grey Terminal to the ground, but now, over 30 years later, the place was filled with mountains of the nobility's rubbish once more. It was hard to believe that children grew up here, but she could see them scrambling over piles of empty containers and old clothes, calling to their friends and wielding anything they could find that would make suitable weapons.

It was even weirder to believe that _Luffy_ grew up here. How had Luffy walked away from such a place, and still managed to smile every day?

Robin tucked her hair behind her ear and looked around. She had left the rest of the crew with Dadan; their Captain's foster mother was an old woman now, and they were staying here so Chopper could make sure she was comfortable in her final moments.

In a way, Robin was glad Luffy was already gone. She didn't know how their Captain would have handled seeing his foster mother like this. Although, Robin didn't know much about Luffy's relationship with his foster mother at all; they had only met Dadan once before Luffy had passed away - almost a year had passed now, and how slowly time seemed to creep by - and that had been a few months after Luffy had achieved his goal of becoming the Pirate King. Even then, they had only stayed at the island for two days before moving on, Luffy eager to find their next adventure.

As far as Robin could tell, Luffy had been on friendly terms with his foster family, but he didn't seem to be as fond of them as he had been of Sabo.

Robin smiled softly as she thought back on their Captain, trying to imagine him growing up in a place like this. In the dense jungle, it made sense; she could easly see Luffy climbing trees and wrestling animals in his youth. But this dirty, grimy place, where children carried weapons to defend themselves against adults and grew up far too quickly... It just didn't match with her Captain.

The woman was roused from her thoughts when she felt something collide with the back of her leg, and she looked around, smiling down at the child that had collided with her. The child backed up several steps, scowling at Robin and holding tightly onto a rusting piece of pipe.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked, not perturbed by the suspicious way the child regarded her. After a moment, the little boy nodded, lips pressed together. Robin straightened up again, looking the boy over. He was little more than skin and bone, and Robin made a decision, looking around.

"Do you have any friends?" She asked, pausing when she saw a group of kids hidden behind the remains of a large closet, watching them warily. They flinched when Robin smiled at them, and tried to scatter. They were stopped, however, as arms sprouted from the trash around them, catching hold of their arms. Robin didn't stop smiling as the children started to scream in terror at the arms that gently but firmly held on to them.

Eventually the screams and whimpers petered out, when the children realized they weren't being hurt by the strange woman who had ventured into their realm. Robin looked down at the child who had ran into her leg before reaching into her bag and pulling out a large purse. "Here you go." She murmured, crouching down again and holding the purse out to the child. The boy stared at the purse with huge eyes before peering into it, gasping when he saw the gold coins inside. He looked back up at Robin, but the woman was already walking away, just happy to know that the children would be eating well tonight, at the very least.

Robin didn't stay at Grey Terminal for long; staying here, where so many children were hurt the same way she had been, made her stomach churn unpleasantly, especially when she knew she couldn't help all of them.

_"Robin! The others will be waiting for you! Shishishi!"_ Robin hesitated and smiled softly, her fingers curling around the strap of the bag she was carrying over her shoulder.

It wasn't the first time she'd heard Luffy after his death. Luffy's voice wasn't even the first one she'd heard; While she'd been travelling alone, she would sometimes hear Jaguar D. Saul's voice reminding her to smile, even when it had felt impossible for her to ever feel happiness again.

It was a coping mechanism, Robin was sure of it; a way to keep her Captain close, even if he wasn't there anymore. A voice she trusted more than anyone else, that reminded her she had a family now, one that loved her and would protect her, as much as she loved and protected them.

Looking back over Grey Terminal, Robin sighed. "It seems, Captain," She murmured. "We were much more alike than I could have ever imagined..."


	5. Chapter of Chopper

This was definitely the hardest chapter for me to write, just because... I don't like the idea of the crew being old. They are my precious babies, they're not supposed to grow old. So, if any of you are of the same mindset as me on this... I'm sorry.

**Chapter of Chopper**

Chopper tied off the bandages around Zoro's chest, ignoring the man's grumble as he did so. There were so many more scars littering Zoro's body now, and Chopper sighed. Would it kill the swordsman to hold back just a little in fights? He was destroying his own body-

Chopper stopped that train of thought, swallowing. Zoro wasn't going to go the same way as Luffy; he couldn't let himself think like that. Looking back up at Zoro, Chopper paused.

"Zoro..." He started, and the swordsman looked down at him, not moving when Chopper leaned up to touch the man's temples, where a small smattering of grey was starting to set in. When had that happened? Zoro didn't have any wrinkles yet, but he did have pronounced frown lines. When had the man Chopper considered as a big brother grown older? After a moment, Chopper shook his head and let Zoro go, sitting down at his desk.

Over the next few days, Chopper noticed more and more signs that the years were starting to affect his family. Robin had a couple of wrinkles now, Nami had to use glasses when she was reading, Sanji was starting to suffer from harsh coughs as years of chain smoking started to affect him. Usopp was starting to find a couple of grey hairs in his dark hair, and even Franky was starting to complain about aches and pains where human flesh met metal in his cyborg body.

It distressed the little reindeer greatly. This wasn't how it was supposed to go; he wasn't supposed to loose his friends to time itself, he wasn't supposed to loose them at all. And he knew that was an unreasonable way to think, but... How could he bare to loose anymore friends? When he still wasn't recovered 5 years after Luffy's death, how could he be expected to loose anyone else?

The crew noticed, of course; you can't travel with someone for 30 years without learning their every mannerism and quirks, even on a ship as big as the Thousand Sunny. And Chopper couldn't lie to save his life, especially not to his friends. So when they cornered him at breakfast and demanded an explanation, he folded quickly, spilling his worries to his friends.

The reaction surprised him. Instead of getting annoyed at him for worrying about something that couldn't be helped, they were understanding. Almost as if they'd been having the same worries themselves.

The crew was quiet for a moment, before Nami sighed.

"We can't keep travelling like this forever." She murmured, and Chopper saw Zoro tense out of the corner of his eyes.

"And..." Usopp started hesitantly. "There's people waiting for us. I mean, Kaya's back at home..." He trailed off, glancing at the others. Robin smiled softly, brushing her hair behind her ear with one hand.

"Maybe it's time for us to stand down and let the next generation of pirates take the stage." She mused. There was a small murmur of agreement, and Chopper glanced at Zoro. The man's eyes were dark, but after a moment, the swordsman looked up again.

"One more journey." He murmured, and the rest of the crew turned to look at him. "One more adventure."

The table was silent for a while, before Sanji leaned back, lighting another cigarette. He noticed Chopper's disapproving look, but ignored it; he reckoned that withdrawal would kill him much sooner than his habit ever would.

"Go out with one big hurrah?" He asked dryly. Nami's eyes lit up suddenly, and she stood up, leaving the room. The crew watched after her, waiting silently for Nami to come back. When she did, she was carrying a map, which she spread out on the table.

"Dawn Island," She started, pointing at the island Luffy was born and raised. "Luffy left here, and traveled to Shells Town, where he met Zoro." She hummed, moving her finger across the map to the island Luffy and Zoro met. "They both met me here, at Orange town, and then we met Usopp at his home of Syrup Village..." She continued to trace out a path, through East Blue, into the Grand Line, naming the islands they'd visited in the past, before Chopper hummed.

"We'll take the same journey..." He murmured, and Nami smiled.

"As close as it can be." She replied. "I mean, there are some detours we made the first time around that we can't make again. And I don't think we'll be able to make our journey through Alabasta again; the Marines still have a large presence there, and we don't want to get Vivi into trouble by turning up there."

Chopper smiled and nodded. He liked the idea; revisiting all the places they had seen at the start of their grand adventure, seeing old friends again.

He looked around at the rest of the crew as they agreed to the idea, and looked down at the table. He was happy to go on one last adventure, but what would happen afterwards? When the crew dispersed and found their own homes, would they still keep in contact? Or would they loose each other forever?

_"Don't be stupid! We're nakama, Chopper!"_

Chopper looked up in surprise, looking around at his friends. It had been a while since he'd last heard his captain's voice; in the early days, it had always been with him, memories of Luffy rising uninvited in his mind. He smiled after a moment, shifting on the bench to get comfortable between Zoro and Nami. It was comforting, being able to remember Luffy's voice even now, and Chopper closed his eyes, content to listen to his friends talk about the upcoming journey and what they would need.


	6. Chapter of Sanji

This chapter pretty much wrote itself. It was a chapter I had planned since the moment I started this fic, so to get it written down and actually feel pleased with how it came out is a pretty good feeling.

And, this chapter is also to answer a question that a couple of you might have been having since the very first chapter. Here's hoping you're satisfied with the answer!

Chapter of Sanji

Sanji liked to think he adjusted pretty well to Luffy's death. It had shaken him as much as everyone else, of course; that his Captain, strong and fearless and selfless when it was important, wasn't around anymore. But on the whole, he reacted better to it than Franky, who even now still sometimes cried about it, or Brooke, who woke them up for months with mournful melodies, or even Zoro, who'd locked himself away for 2 weeks after they buried Luffy at sea, and only came out to eat.

Sanji didn't have an elongated mourning period. He worked hard, helped Nami and Robin through their grief, fed the crew, fought enemies, and pushed all thoughts of the absence of his Captain to the furthest, darkest locked room in his mind.

But sometimes, the door holding these thoughts back tried to open and flood him with emotion, and although he managed to stop it every time, it always left him shaken and disorientated.

And this never happened more frequently than when Sanji was shopping for supplies. For so long, he'd been shopping for 8 people, and Luffy. Everything he'd bought had been to feed 8 people, and Luffy. His Captain's voracious appetite had always been on his mind, to the point that it was second nature to buy several tons of meat, only to realise to his horror that there was no way the crew could eat it all before it went bad, or to buy sweet sake and then remember that Luffy had been the only person who drank it. And even now the crew were preparing for their final big journey, Sanji still had to bite down the instinct to buy twice as much as he actually needed.

The chef frowned down at his list for a long time; it always looked too short to him now. After a moment, he shook it off and looked up at the market he'd stopped at to get some fresh produce. A flash of yellow bobbing through the crowd caught his attention, and he froze.

He didn't want to believe what he saw, at first. But he'd traveled with Luffy for years, had every feature of the late-Pirate King committed to memory, and when Sanji saw Luffy's Straw Hat... he _knew_ it was Luffy's Straw hat. Perched on the head of a kid who had to be barely 12 years old, seeing the hat was like seeing an old friend for the first time in years. It was the same; old and slightly tattered, three long marks on the top where it had been repaired by Nami, the frayed red ribbon as bright as it always had been.

Deep inside Sanji's mind, the lock shattered and the door flung open, and a wave of pure _fury_ washed over the man.

Who the fuck was this shitty kid?! This kid who wore _Luffy's_ hat?! This brat who dared to even touch the precious hat that belonged to Sanji's captain, without even knowing the history and significance that hat held. Sanji didn't notice the bags he'd been holding fall to the ground as he strode through the crowd, pushing passersby aside, his gaze focused on that iconic Straw Hat.

"Oi," He snapped, grabbing the shoulder of the boy who wore Luffy's hat and forcing him around.

Wide, confused eyes blinked up at him, and Sanji hesitated.

_"Ne? Sanji, what's wrong?" _

Sanji stared down at the boy for a long time, and the boy stared back before suddenly grinning widely.

"Hmm? Mr Curly Brow, what's wrong?" The boy asked, and Sanji swallowed, his fingers twitching.

"That hat..." He started, and the boy reached up to touch the brim of Luffy's hat before tugging it down bashfully with both hands.

_"This? This is my treasure!"_

"My hat? This hat is my treasure, Mr Curly Brow!" The boy grinned up at him again, and Sanji flinched. This snot nosed little brat reminded him so much of Luffy that it physically hurt him, and Sanji swallowed before clearing his throat.

"Look after it." He muttered, before abruptly turning and walking away, leaving the boy to watch after him, confused.

Sanji sighed as he picked his bags back up, shaking his head to clear it. His fingers were shaking, and he needed a smoke badly. He still had a lot of shopping to do, but that could wait for a while. The chef walked slowly through the crowds of people, eyes fixed on the pavement in front of him. He moved on autopilot, barely noticing he had reached the Sunny until he had already packed the food away and reached for his packet of cigarettes, tapping the bottom of the packet to get one out.

The first drag was like a blanket of calm and peace, and Sanji held it for a moment before blowing smoke rings, remembering how the simple trick used to fascinate Luffy. For a while, he let the familiarity of the cigarette between his lips soothe him, shutting his mind down and focusing only on each breath he took.

After a while, a chuckle left the man, and he tapped the ash off of his cigarette. Despite everything, despite the fact that it hadn't even been Luffy... it had felt really good to see that familiar, dumb grin once more.


	7. Chapter of Usopp

This is just one of those chapters that refused to be written. Which is weird, because I'd planned Usopp's chapter from the very beginning. But then I reached it, and just realized that my plan wasn't _Usopp_; It might have been Original Usopp, but ever since his first few episodes, Usopp has had probably the best character development out of everyone else in the crew, even better than Luffy. So, saying that, I really hope I've done Usopp justice here. I love him, and I love how much he's progressed in the last 15 years.

**Chapter of Usopp**

There were people on the Sunny. Usopp didn't like having _people_ on the Sunny. Admittedly, one of these _people_ was Trafalger Law, who even now, years after their alliance, was still a close friend of the Straw Hats. But the others... Usopp looked at the red haired man who used to call himself Luffy's rival. Eustass Kid crept Usopp out, he always had. Even now, with grey streaking his vibrant hair, the man was huge and intimidating, and his first mate...

The man shook his head, quickly looking away before either of the pirates could see him staring. They were there, apparently, to pay their respects to the crew of the late Pirate King. Usopp didn't buy it. The few times Kid and Luffy had fought in the past had been vicious and terrifying. The only thing Kid was looking for with the Strawhat Crew was a fight.

Usopp sighed, looking out at the two ships either side of the Sunny, Law's yellow submarine on one side, and Kid's ship on the other. The captains' crews were still on their respective ships, and Usopp hesitated when he caught the eye of Law's first mate, the odd, talking bear. Then again, they had a reindeer on their crew, so Usopp really shouldn't call other people odd. Besides, Law's crew were perfectly normal compared to Kid's terrifying crew. Usopp hesitated when his eyes fell on Kid's first mate, the helmeted man standing by his Captain. Kid was scary, but Killer was the worst. Kid was always angry, his face always twisted into a malevolent grin, but Killer... Killer was calm and rational and intelligent. Killer was like Lucci, calculating and cold, and Usopp was _terrified_ of him.

_Hey, Usopp, look at his funny helmet!_

Usopp hesitated, closing his eyes for a moment.

_He looks strong! Do you think he'll fight me?_

"Oi, Usopp." The long nosed man jerked and opened his eyes, looking up at Sanji. The blond man leaned casually against the wall, his uncovered eye focused on Killer and Kid despite addressing Usopp, and Usopp relaxed slightly. He wasn't alone, he wasn't the only one who didn't trust the two. In fact, thinking about it, Nami hadn't sat down once since the Kid Pirates had docked alongside them, Franky was pointedly polishing his arms, Zoro's eye was fixed on Killer; even Law had curled the robotic arm Franky had made for him around the hilt of his sword, ready to fight with his friends if he had to.

_Hey, Usopp. Look after Sunny for me._

Usopp took a deep breath before stepping forwards, drawing comfort and strength from his Captain's memory. Chopper looked up at him, surprised, and behind them, Sanji smirked softly.

"Hey!" Usopp started, hesitating when Kid and Killer turned to face him and swallowing. "You- You paid your respects. You don't have anymore business here!" Kid scowled, and Usopp swallowed, starting to back up.

_Usopp, you're so cool!_

"We- We don't care where you go, but you can't stay here!" Usopp persevered, attracting the attention of the rest of the crew. It was true that Usopp wasn't the coward they used to know, but still, it just wasn't like the man to stand up to people as intimidating as Kid and Killer...

"Kid-san," Law started after a moment, his voice low, adding the suffix sarcastically. "I suggest, for your sake, you do what Longnose-ya says."

On Law's ship, his crew had gathered, and Killer lifted one hand, placing it on his Captain's arm.

"Kid," He started, leaning in and speaking quietly, too quietly for anyone but Kid to hear him. Apparently deciding they couldn't afford to go up against both the Strawhats and the Heart Pirates, Kid and Killer slowly retreated to their own ship. Usopp sagged down in relief, sweating profusely.

"That was scary, I thought he was going to cut my head off!" He bemoaned, pausing when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked around at Law, who nodded.

"Mugiwara-ya... picked a good crew." He murmured, and he looked around at the Strawhats, nodding stiffly to them before heading back to his own ship.

_Shishishi! I've got the best crew in the world!_

A smile crept to Usopp's lips, and he let out a bashful chuckle, ducking his head.

He really had been lucky to be found by Luffy, all those years ago...


	8. Chapter of Nami

Only one chapter left, huh. I'm going to warn you all now, the last chapter is by far going to be the longest. These have all been super short chapters, but this one is slightly longer, just because I want to give some form of closure; some explanation of what happens to the Strawhats even after they stop sailing together.

This is definitely the sweeter of the chapters I've written, but that's for good reason; each of the crew members share their own bond with Luffy, but Luffy and Nami's friendship is based off of immense trust and familial love. And honestly, Luffy and Nami remind me so much of myself and my little brother, and in part because of that, I just didn't want to make this sad. On top of this, this chapter is set approximately 30 years after Luffy's death; Nami isn't bitter, or grieving, or angry. She's found solace in her friends and family, and so can look back at her time with Luffy and remember the good and the bad things with fondness, rather than sadness.

And that's the most important part of the mourning process, that's the part you _need _to reach, if only for your own peace of mind.

Okay, this authors note ended up being a lot longer than it meant to... the last chapter will be up within the next week, so look forward to that!

**Chapter of Nami**

Nami tucked a strand of long orange hair behind her ear, stepping back from the wall and taking a deep breath before grinning. "It's finally done..." She murmured, glancing over her shoulder when the door to her study opened. Nojiko stepped in, carrying two cups of coffee, and Nami smiled at her sister, accepting her coffee with a murmured thanks.

"You finished it?" Nojiko asked, looking up at the wall. She smiled softly, taking a sip of her own coffee. "It's incredible, Nami..."

A lifetime of work was stretched out on the wall; the complete map of the world, every last island carefully plotted and inked in.

"I might get Usopp to come here from Syrup Island to add some paintings around the edge." Nami mused, looking up at the map. "I know he'll be able to do it justice." She would have to wait, though; Usopp was on his honeymoon with Kaya, and Nami knew better than to interrupt a honeymoon. Especially a honeymoon that had been waiting for Usopp to finally come home to Kaya years after their wedding.

"It does look a little bare." Nojiko agreed, taking a sip of her coffee. Nami reached out, trailing her fingers lightly over the paper. Every island on this map had its own story, its own part in an adventure with the Strawhat Pirates. Thousands of memories, carefully plotted and drawn on the map. It was a little sad, knowing that all of those memories, a million moments of joy and despair and love, could be condensed into so many sheets of paper. But on the other hand, it was solid and true. They existed. They had been there, they had mattered. Luffy, Zoro, herself, Usopp, every single member of the Strawhat Pirates, all of the friends and allies they made along the way, even the enemies they had made were in part immortalized in Nami's life's work.

Nami was roused from her thoughts when she heard the familiar call of her den den mushi, and she placed her coffee down, hurrying into the next room to answer the call.

"Nami-Swan!" Sanji cried happily when Nami answered, and the woman grinned.

"Sanji-kun! How are you?" She asked as she carried the den den mushi into her study, placing it down on the desk and settling down with Nojiko, who called her own greeting to Sanji.

Nami sighed as Sanji waxed lyrical about her and Nojiko, smiling fondly despite her exasperated demeanor. "Sanji-kun," She interrupted after a moment. "Have you spoken to the others recently?"

"Robin-chwan and Franky called yesterday," Sanji confirmed, and Nami nodded.

"I spoke to them yesterday as well. I might make a trip to Water 7 soon, see how Franky is doing as the new President of Galley-la." She chuckled. "I also spoke to Chopper yesterday, he and Brooke are still on their way to Drum Kingdom after visiting Usopp." She continued.

"Haven't heard from the marimo, yet." Sanji mused, and Nami sighed.

"Me neither. But Zoro will be okay. I think he was going to head to Saboady Archipelago, keep an eye out for rookies with potential."

"You think he's looking for that kid?" Sanji asked, and Nami hesitated. When Sanji had told the crew about the boy she'd seen wearing Luffy's hat, they'd all had different reactions. Franky had been a little annoyed that someone else had Luffy's treasure, Nami and Robin had understood the implications of Luffy passing it on, Usopp and Chopper had just been happy that Luffy's legacy was being carried on, but Zoro... Zoro hadn't reacted at all. He had acted like Sanji had just made a comment about the weather, grunted and fell asleep. On one hand, Zoro had traveled with Luffy the longest, and understood Luffy on a different level to the others. He had never questioned Luffy's decisions, and Nami knew he wasn't about to start now.

On the other hand... Zoro still hadn't properly dealt with Luffy's passing. He never talked about it with the others, he'd never had a moment where he broke down and cried, or got angry, or came to one of them for help. Nami wasn't convinced he'd ever really accepted it.

After a long pause, Sanji sighed. "Well, even the moss-brain knows he has to let the rookies take over." He mused. Nami smiled.

"Yeah." She replied. "It's not our time anymore. He knows that." The two moved on with their conversation, chatting about rude customers at the Baratie and Nami's completed map. Eventually Nami had to reluctantly call an end to their conversation; the sun would be setting soon, and Nami still had an errand to run.

"I'll visit sometime, Sanji-kun." She promised, smiling softly as she stretched out. She could practically hear the lovehearts emanating from Sanji, and Nojiko giggled.

"Yes, Nami-swan! I'll see you then! Not like Roger's!"

"Not like Roger's." Nami replied with a chuckle, hanging up. Nojiko hummed.

"Not like Roger's?" She repeated. "You ended with that before, when you were on the den den mushi with Robin, didn't you?"

Nami hummed, putting away her tools. "We agreed not to say goodbye." She explained. "Because goodbye suggests we won't see each other again. But we can't say see you later, because... well, we might not. So we say not like Roger's. It's a reminder;" She turned to Nojiko, her smile turning bittersweet. "We're Luffy's crew. We're not like Roger's, and we won't be like Roger's; he sent his crew away, and they never saw one another again apart from a few cases. We're not going to do that. Even though we're not travelling together anymore, we're still a family, and we're still the Strawhat Pirates."

Nojiko hummed in understanding, propping her chin up in her hand and watching her younger sister. "You know," She murmured. "He really was the best thing that ever happened to you, wasn't he?"

Nami didn't ask for an explanation as she finished tidying her desk up and plucked a basket up from underneath the desk. "He really was." She murmured. "To all of us. We owe him everything..."

She sighed before turning to Nojiko and offering her sister a smile. "Do you know how angry he would be if he saw us having this conversation?" She asked, and Nojiko chuckled. "The moron would probably get angry at me for missing him." Nami continued, shaking her head. "And then I would get angry at him for getting irrationally angry..." She sighed.

"I think he would be happy." Nojiko started, and Nami paused. "That you're all staying in touch. I didn't know him as well as you did, but he loved you all. He wouldn't want any of you to be alone."

The orange haired woman watched her sister for a while before smiling and taking her basket outside, musing on Nojiko's words as she picked a few oranges from the orchard outside, testing their firmness before placing them in the basket.

Her first stop was Bell-mère's grave, and she carefully maintained the surrounding area, replacing the flowers at the grave and placing an orange down next to the flowers. "You would have loved him, Bell-mère-san." Nami murmured as she worked. "Even though he was a pirate." She smiled to herself, straightening up.

_Nami! You are my nakama!_

Nami sighed, picking up an orange from her basket and sitting by the cliff, carefully peeling the orange. "Wouldn't want us to be alone, huh?" She asked, before grinning, placing an orange slice in her mouth and savoring the taste. "We haven't been alone since the moment we met him. Right, Luffy?" The Navigator looked up, out over the sea; somewhere, Luffy's remains were out there, deep in the sea he loved.

Nami didn't know if there was an afterlife. She didn't know if Luffy was looking down at them somewhere with Ace and Bell-mère, but if he was... she hoped he knew that he wasn't alone either.


	9. Chapter of Zoro

The last chapter. I'm a little sad to finish this story, honestly, but of course this was always how it was going to end. If nothing else, this story has let me study the characters I love in a completely new light.

This chapter ended in a way I hadn't planned it to end, and I don't know how I feel about it... I was just making so adjustments, and then everything kind of... wrote itself. So give me your opinion on it; is it a good ending? Is it a terrible one? I don't even know anymore.

One last thing; thank you to everyone who read this story. Whether you've been reading from the very first chapter, or you've only found it now it's complete, it means so much to me that people are actually taking their time to read this very angsty saga. As always, any feedback and criticism is welcome.

Thank you again.

**Chapter of Zoro**

Zoro dropped into the stool at the bar, and he barely had to raise his hand before a bottle was set in front of him.

"So, Zoro-san, you actually managed to find your way here from the docks without help?" The bartender teased, ignoring the way Zoro grumbled at her as she started to clean up the bar. "Or did your little entourage have to help you get here?"

As if to answer her question, three children climbed up to the bar, and the bartender chuckled.

"We picked up Roronoa-senpai!" One of the children, a young girl, chirped, and Zoro made a face into his bottle of sake. He didn't know when the children of Sabaody Archipelago had made it their mission to escort him from place to place, but now like clockwork a group of two or three children would accompany him everywhere, making sure he didn't get lost.

Which was ridiculous. He'd been living in the Archipelago for seven years now, before some of them had even been born. He didn't need escorting, he knew the place fine. It was just that... sometimes the buildings moved. That was all. It was a group of islands, it was expected that some of them would move sometimes, right?

"Well done!" The bartender chirped, casually fishing out a sharpened knife from under the bar and throwing it across the room. It landed with deadly aim between two fingers of a man who had been reaching for the door out of the bar, and the woman smiled sweetly, the knife still shaking where it had sunk three inches into the wood of the door frame.

"Trying to leave without paying, Mako-san?" She asked, and Zoro snorted into his sake, glancing at the three children next to him as the bartender left to give 'Mako-san' a piece of her mind.

"Here." Zoro started after a moment, passing them a couple of bills. "Buy some juice or something."

"Can we get sake?" One of the boys asked hopefully, and Zoro snorted.

"You can try." He muttered, shaking his head. "Don't get your hopes up with that witch, though." He took another drink, looking around as the bartender finally came back, wiping her knife on her apron.

"Oh, Zoro-san," She started, stowing her knife away. "A call came in for you while you were fishing from Robin-nee-chan." Zoro grunted, pushing himself up and heading past the bartender, grabbing the den den mushi. When one of the crew called, he had to reply, no matter what; no arguments.

The Mushi only rung for a few moments before it was picked up, and Zoro hummed.

"Hey." He greeted, holding the receiver away from his ear as Franky greeted him loudly. "Robin called earlier?"

"Yeah, just checking how you were." Franky confirmed. "None of us have heard from you for a while; you never call us, we have to call you."

Zoro grunted, his hand resting on the hilt of Wado as he lent back against the wall. "No reason to call." He replied. "Not much has happened." Franky was silent for a while, and Zoro sighed, already knowing what lecture was about to follow. "Franky." He started, before the Cyborg could start reprimanding him for not getting in touch. "I'm fine, okay. I'll call if I have to. Pass me over to Robin."

Franky sighed, but didn't argue, and Zoro waited impatiently as Franky fetched Robin.

The door to the bar opened as he waited, and the man glanced over his shoulder, hesitating. His eyes widened slightly as he watched the pirate crew heading into the room.

"I'm hungry! Let's eat, I wanna eat!"

The whining man was obviously the Captain, Zoro knew this without doubt. Not because of how the others followed him, not because he could feel the strength emanating from the man...

All Zoro needed to know the man's status was the Strawhat perched on the man's head.

"Good Evening, Zoro." Robin greeted as the Den Den Mushi was passed to her, and Zoro cleared his throat.

"Give... Give me a moment. I'll call back in a minute..." He murmured, hanging up on Robin and slowly walking back to the bar, eyes fixed on the young man who was talking animatedly with the bartender.

"Five cakes, and fish, lots of fish!" The man babbled, his hat tilting away from his face.

Sanji had been right. The boy was so similar to Luffy, it hurt. Not that the man looked like Zoro's captain; it was in the man's attitude, the way he held himself, the bright grin on his face.

"Captain," A girl started, pinching the man's ear and tugging, and the man glanced around, pausing when he saw Zoro. Zoro didn't react, his hand still resting on his swords as he evaluated the boy sat at the bar. He was maybe a year older than Luffy had been when they'd reached the Archipelago the first time, and Zoro nodded approvingly when the straw-hat wearing man looked him over approvingly. The boy beamed abruptly.

"Ah, sorry ossan!" He started. "Did I take your seat?"

Zoro shook his head, settling down at the bar and picking up his sake. He smiled softly as the woman who had caught the Captain's attention hit him around the head, fuming.

"Moron, do you know who that is?!" She asked, and the Captain looked up at her, rubbing the back of his neck with a pout.

"Huh? That's Roronoa Zoro, isn't it?" He asked, and the woman hesitated.

"W- Well, yeah, but-"

"The Pirate King's right hand man!" The Captain continued, his eyes lighting up, and he grabbed the woman's hand, tugging her closer. "Hey, ossan, look! Taro is my first mate, she's gonna be as strong as you!" The woman's eyes widened, and she looked at Zoro, blurting out apologies to the man. Zoro hummed, looking her over before turning back to the Captain.

"Your hat." He started, and the Captain reached up to touch the brim of his hat. "You know how important that hat is?"

The younger man grinned. "Of course! It's my treasure." Zoro chuckled, nodding.

"Good." He murmured, turning back to the bar and taking another swig of his sake. "Remember that. Luffy chose you, you got it? You better respect that." Using his thumb, he slightly unsheathed one of his swords. "If you tarnish his legacy, I'll be coming after you."

The woman, Taro, curled her fingers around the hilt of a large hammer, ready to defend her captain. The boy, however, merely grinned widely.

"I'm going to be the strongest." He announced. "I'm going to be the next Pirate King, got it?"

Zoro grinned. He wouldn't expect anything less from the man Luffy chose to carry his treasure. He pushed himself up to his feet, finishing his sake and heading back to the Den Den Mushi, calling Robin again.

"Zoro," Robin greeted, sounding surprised that Zoro had actually bothered to call back.

"Hey." Zoro greeted, glancing at the Strawhat wearing boy before humming. "Hey, you mind if I come see you and Franky at Water Seven sometime?"

"Of course you can." Robin replied. "Did something good happen?" Zoro hummed.

"You could say that. Just... Luffy knew." Robin didn't reply, so Zoro continued. "He knew he was going to die, I can't believe I never realized before... He didn't leave any loose ends." He smiled slightly, looking down. "He left us all with people to help us. And I almost threw that away."

"Zoro..." Robin started, before sighing. "But you didn't. We're still here for you, and you're there for us."

"Yeah... Yeah, I am." Zoro confirmed, resting his head back. "I'll see you around sometime, Robin. Not like Roger's."

"Not like Roger's." Robin repeated, and Zoro hung up, grinning to himself before heading to the door.

"Oi, kids." He started, and the three children looked up at him. "Gonna take me back home?" The children grinned and scrambled down from the bar, and Zoro looked up at the Captain for a few moments, who paused and met his eyes. The two men remained silent for a long time, before Zoro broke the silence.

"I'll look forward to seeing you at the top." He announced, and turned to leave, a smile resting on his lips. He followed the kids slowly, nodding in thanks to them when they reached his home and watching them leave.

_Ne, Zoro._

"Yeah?" Zoro murmured softly, not turning.

_You're really gonna go see Franky and Robin?_

"Seems that way." The swordsman yawned, rubbing his eyes before heading into his home, ignoring the tap of sandals behind him. "Hey, Luffy." He started, and the tapping stopped. "Are you actually here? Or am I just insane?"

There was a contemplative hum, and Zoro still didn't turn around; there wasn't anyone there. If he turned, it would break the illusion, and the voice would vanish.

_Well, who knows!_ Zoro chuckled at the carefree chirp, shaking his head. _But you never talked to the others about it._

"I didn't, did I." Zoro mused.

_Zoro?_

"Uh huh?" The voice didn't reply for a long time. When it did, it sounded uncharacteristically serious.

_I'm glad you're going to see Robin and Franky. You need them. You need to stop holding on to me._

Zoro flinched, and his fingers gripped the hilt of Shusui.

"Luffy," He growled.

_No. _The voice interrupted. _I'm not Luffy. You know I'm not Zoro. Luffy wouldn't want you to end up like this. _Zoro swallowed, and almost turned. The voice let out a sad chuckle. _Promise me you'll see Franky and Robin._

"If you're not real," Zoro started. "Then who will I be promising?"

_Yourself. _The voice replied. _Promise yourself._

Zoro didn't reply, eyes focused on the wall in front of him. After a moment, his fingers uncurled from Shusui.

"I promise." He murmured. "I'll go and see them. And the others. I'll actually keep in contact with them. I'll call them when I can, and talk to them, even about stupid stuff none of us even care about..."

There was no reply, and Zoro took a breath before turning around. For a moment, he had actually fooled himself into believing that there really was someone behind him; not Luffy, but _some one_. Of course, however, there was no one. Zoro stared down the empty corridor before heading into his living room, dropping onto his couch and grabbing his barely used Den Den Mushi. He had a promise to keep.


End file.
